Oblation Of The Starlight
by cafalla
Summary: The world is destined to cycle between prosperity and destruction for all of eternity. Special key stones are entrusted onto three chosen ones at birth, and Dia and Hanamaru are tasked by their Queen to search for the third Azalea stone holder before their world falls deeper into ruin. Will their efforts to open the gate and restore life to the world be in vain? AZALEA Centric. AU.
1. The Queen's Request

**A/N: Hello friends! I've had this story sitting in my drafts for quite some time, and finally decided to begin posting it! The whole premise of this story came from AZALEA's song "Galaxy Hide and Seek", so I recommend listening to it (particularly just the sound and tone of the music, though the words do kind of match). I hope you will enjoy! xx Cafalla**

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Oblation Of The Starlight

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"Counselor Dia, Scholar Hanamaru…do you accept this quest?"

Dia stood still, her heart heavy in her chest at the request by her queen. She stared up at Queen Mari who was seated on a worn throne. The ruler had bags under her eyes, and her skin was pale to the point of being translucent.

She was on her last leg, Dia realized, and this request was her – no, humanity's - last hope.

Their planet was dying and according to the Queen, the only way left to restore life to their home was to find a mysterious ruin that would only reveal itself to the three people who harbored the Azalea stone. After a few days of stewing over the information, Queen Mari decided that the ancient text Scholar Hanamaru had uncovered from the royal library was something that needed to be pursued.

The tome mentioned a mysterious ruin as a storage house of renewed life, whatever that was supposed to mean.

Apparently when the world was destined to cycle in and out of despair indefinitely. The lock needed to unleash this everlasting energy materialized in the form of stones, with the current set housing the name of Azalea. They were entrusted upon birth only to three "chosen ones", so to speak.

Dia was one of them.

The counselor wasn't sure what to think of it all – the Queen had always been rather eccentric and deeply believed in unconventional solutions.

Queen Mari had once thought the answer to healing the kingdom of a sickness outbreak was to give everyone glittery trinkets, because according to her, looking at pretty, shiny things was enough to make anyone feel better. Luckily Healer Riko, the head physician of the castle, was able to work with Alchemist Yoshiko to create a vaccine.

Riko was a kind woman, and while administering vaccinations, also handed out the trinkets Queen Mari had worked on with the help of Artist Chika and Chef You.

The vaccine worked, and many of the villagers held on to and displayed the trinkets from the Queen for years afterwards. Some had even come to request counsel with the Queen to thank her for her gifts to speak of how the trinkets helped them smile, and gave them hope when they thought they would perish from sickness.

While Queen Mari's shiny trinkets didn't exactly physically heal the kingdom, they did heal the hearts of her subjects and safeguarded their faith and trust in her. Dia had to admit the Queen's solution, while unconventional and seemingly useless, had worked out well in an unexpected way.

But that was back when the grass was green and people had a future to look towards.

The solution she offered now in their current hour of despair…well, Dia wasn't so sure it could result in a happy ending.

That was if they were even able to succeed.

The only information they had to go on was from an old tome written by a previous scholar who had presumably been alive during the last cycle of decay. The text was outlandish, if not outright ridiculous, in Dia's opinion.

The planet had started dying a few years ago, and Queen Mari had desperately been working with other kingdoms to find a solution to cease the deterioration of their world.

Time ticked past them; the skies darkened, the farmlands withered, and as fissures cracked open to release monsters in the valleys, civilians from all over began to panic and lose faith in their kingdoms, resulting in dispersal. Communication between the kingdoms ceased when there were no more messengers to send, much less any people left to keep a kingdom together.

All that was left of their castle was the west wing– the east wing had collapsed roughly a year ago from an earthquake. The village around the castle was left in ash from a monster attack, and only the most loyal of subjects remained with the Queen, holed up in what was left of the castle to try and survive.

They had been trying to come up with ideas to heal their planet, rid the monsters, and restore peace, but the task proved to be too monumental, and their efforts had been fruitless.

Or at least they were, until Scholar Hanamaru discovered the worn tome that had sparked hope back into the Queen's eyes.

Dia had read the text herself, and was skeptical to the existence of the ruins, much less that there was something inside them that could restore their planet that currently was resting on its death bed.

The raven haired girl glanced down at her right hand, the one that harbored her Azalea stone. She had been born with the strange blood red stone - the one she recently learned was called an Azalea stone - which roughly resembled a crude looking heart. The stone took up the majority of the space on the back of her right hand, and while it was definitely uncommon to be born with a stone embedded in one's skin, no one really thought much past it.

It was a defining feature at most, like a mole or a scar, and everyone grew accustomed to her being the woman with the stone on her hand.

That is, until another woman with a stone on her hand showed up.

That woman being Hanamaru, the castle's recently appointed scholar, who currently stood silent at Dia's side.

She was a couple years younger than Dia and had traveled to Queen Mari's kingdom in search of knowledge and refuge. The Queen took an instant liking to the small woman with a foreign dialect, and allowed her to manage the castle library.

Hanamaru had always worn thin leather gloves to cover up her Azalea stone, with the excuse that it helped prevent paper-cuts while shuffling through books and paperwork, so no one ever knew she possessed it. The court had only found out a year after her residency when she allowed her friend, Lady Ruby, to gaze upon the amber star-shaped stone. Ruby had instantly recognized it as one just like Dia's.

Ah, Ruby.

Hanamaru was humble and gentle, and she became a close friend to Dia's dear younger sister, Ruby. Ruby did not currently hold a title within the Queen's court beyond that of a lady, but she had been warmly adopted into their circle after Dia became Queen Mari's right hand woman.

As counselor, Dia helped manage and explain the workings of the things that usually went over Mari's head, such as the finances, politics, and laws of the kingdom. Queen Mari was excellent in being the face of a ruler for the people to love and seek direction from, though she herself often sought out guidance and companionship from her counselor.

Dia loved and respected Queen Mari as her friend and ruler, and she had always remained loyal to the queen's wishes.

That is, until this request.

The text spoke of three Azalea stones holders, and currently there were two that they knew of – Hanamaru and herself. If all three Azalea stones were together, the ruins would open, allowing the stone holders to access and unleash the life force that was said to be within the ruins.

That meant whoever possessed the other Azalea stone was out there somewhere, and Queen Mari had just asked them to go find that person.

It wasn't embarking on a quest to save humanity that Dia was hung up on – she was loyal to Queen Mari and would do whatever the woman asked of her. They had exhausted every outlet, and this was their final chance, no matter how big of a stretch it was. She was skeptical, but willing to give it a shot.

Dia was not willing, however, to leave her sister.

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Queen Mari waited patiently as the two women before her thought about her request. Her attention was caught by a flash of red, and she looked up, spotting Dia's sister hiding behind one of the broken pillars near the entrance to the room.

Ruby's eyes widened as she realized the Queen had caught sight of her.

Mari offered the younger woman an apologetic smile before turning her eyes back to focus on her counselor and resident scholar, neither of whom had yet to notice Ruby's presence.

She knew Ruby had overheard everything, and was surprised that the usually frantic worrywart had remained quiet to watch the scene unfold.

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Ice blue eyes softly regarded solemn amber ones as they weighed their options. Despite not saying anything, Dia could sense the resolve in Hanamaru. The scholar shared the same hesitation towards leaving Ruby behind.

Both women were loyal to their Queen, but were more so loyal to their dearest loved one.

They worried about Ruby's fate if they were to leave – what if the castle was attacked while they were gone?

Luckily no such thing has happened following the initial monster attack, as the beasts tended to dwell out in the fields and forests rather than constantly look for humans to attack. She would be left in the care of the Queen and the rest of the trusted court…but even so, they couldn't leave her alone.

Even though it appeared the world may depend upon them doing exactly that.

Hanamaru's eyes begged Dia to be the one to turn the Queen down.

Dia understood the scholar's wish to stay on her Queen's positive side, and as the older of the two and the one closest to the Queen, Dia knew she had to be the one to speak first.

"Your highness," Dia started, her mouth suddenly feeling dry, "we want to honor your wishes, but I...we, can't leave Ruby."

Unable to meet Queen Mari's gaze, Dia turned to Hanamaru. Her bright amber eyes teared up with anxiety, but she held fast, refusing to let them fall. She could see the younger woman was slightly trembling, and Dia hoped she wasn't doing the same.

They both knew how terrible it was to outright deny their ruler, even if she was a warm and understanding one.

The Queen was silent for a moment as Dia's statement heavy in the air.

The blonde stood from her dilapidated throne and her bright eyes were now trained solely on the girl hiding on the other side of the room.

"What are your thoughts, Ruby?"

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Three heads snapped up at her words.

Dia and Hanamaru whirled around to see Ruby staring with wide doe eyes at their Queen. Her gaze then flicked between her sister and her best friend before she meekly emerge from behind a pillar, her face flushed over having been called out and brought to attention.

Just how long has Ruby been standing there, listening?

The red haired girl padded towards them, her short half-up pigtails bouncing despite her solemn steps. Dia felt her heart lodge in her throat at the conflicted look on her sister's face.

Everything she did was to protect Ruby, to give her a better life. As the older sister, she always hid the details of her job from Ruby, not wanting her to worry about the stress she had to deal with.

But now…Ruby knew the choice Dia was faced with, and she now knew her sister's answer.

Would Ruby feel guilty knowing her two closest people chose her over the potential revival of their world?

Dia waited with bated breath as Ruby stopped in front of her and Hanamaru.

She met Ruby's gaze, and their matching blue eyes swirled with emotion. The connection only lasted a second, and then Ruby looked to Hanamaru, who let out a small apology and a "zura" before lunging forward to embrace Ruby in a tight hug.

Ruby, normally the one being consoled, was unusually calm. She returned Hanamaru's embrace and gently rubbed her back.

"Please don't worry about me…you need to go."

Hanamaru immediately pulled back, and Dia stared at her sister in awe.

Ruby offered them a sad smile, "I'll be okay here. You heard what Queen Mari said…you two possess parts of the Azalea stone! Hanamaru winding up here and finding that book have to be a sign of some sort."

She reached forward to grab both of their hands – the hands that fostered the Azalea stones. "You two coming together was no coincidence, and I think the book is the answer we had been searching for all this time. There has to be a way to restore life the world, and I think you two hold parts of the key."

Ruby looked from her sister, to her best friend, then up to the Queen. Mari simply watched them with a bittersweet smile on her face.

The last thing she wanted to do was break them up, but what choice did they have when fate brought them together and signaled for them to embark on this mission?

"I know you two love me, and I don't know what may happen while you are gone. I don't want you to go because I know you both will be in danger, but you have to at least try! Dia, Hanamaru…both of you have protected me for so long, I know you can protect each other!" Ruby's voice began to break, and her grip tightened on their hands. "You two have done so much for me, but I have to ask you to do this. Please! Go find the other stone holder and save our world!"

The weight of reality weighed down upon the group.

Silent tears slid down Hanamaru's cheeks, and Dia's stomach did flip-flops.

When had Ruby become so mature?

Perhaps Dia's vision of her sister had been clouded by the fact they were siblings, and she had spent most of her time looking after the sensitive woman.

Maybe Ruby had always been this perceptive, and Dia just hadn't realized it until now.

Her sister never once asked anyone for anything, and here she was asking them to do something so dangerous, so uncertain…with the genuine belief that they could succeed and something good would come of it.

And because Dia and Hanamaru were deathly loyal to the small red haired woman, they would always do anything she asked of them.

Dia met Ruby's gaze evenly, and her voice held the weight of the world, "Ruby…are you sure?"

Her sister nodded as a confident smile appeared on her face. "If anyone can save the world, it's you two."

The conviction in her sister's voice was all Dia needed to hear.

Ruby was so sure in her faith that they should do this, that they _could_ do this - it made Dia feel a renewed sense of duty.

They weren't just doing this for humanity's sake; she was doing it for Ruby, so that _she_ could have the world.

Hanamaru turned to Dia, finally speaking for the first time since having been called to the room, "Ruby's right…we need to do this. I'm not sure if we hold the power to end this and restore the world…but we won't know if we try, right?"

Her lips curled into a small smile as she looked down at the sunshine-colored stone embedded into her hand that Ruby still held. "Maybe that book is just nonsense, but it mentions our stones…that has to count for something, zura."

Dia turned to the Queen, who glided down the steps toward them. The counselor spoke with determination lacing her voice, "We accept your quest. We'll prepare tonight and set off in the morning."

Dia's hand tightened around her sister's, who offered her a light squeeze in return.

Queen Mari stopped in front them, her hands clasped in front of her and eyes shining with pride, "I do not ask this of you two lightly. I understand the journey ahead is an uncertain one, but I believe you both will prevail. I desperately hope this isn't a wild goose-chase, but I'm certain either way you two will find something worthwhile out there."

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 **A/N: Thanks for your interest! Please feel free to let me know your thoughts so far! :) xx Cafalla**


	2. Saint Snow Spotting

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It had been three months since the pair set off to search for the other Azalea stone holder, and their determination was starting to wear thin.

Despite the terror the monsters on the outside initially instilled, Dia had come to find that they were rather easy to fend off. She grunted as she forcefully yanked her dagger out of the small monster, its body lightly glowing before suddenly bursting into a rather pretty display of red lights, fading into nothing a second later. The stone on Dia's hand dimly glowed, and she gently ran her fingertips over it.

Despite not having yet located the third stone holder, Dia was now definitely certain the Azalea stone played some role in all this.

They had come across rogue groups of people out hunting monsters in the field, and witnessed firsthand groups of grown men fail to take down a single monster. One group in particular tried to take on the same type of small monster Dia had just defeated, and had failed miserably.

Dia herself had been fearful when one ambushed Hanamaru at their small makeshift camp a few nights into their journey, but somehow Hanamaru had made easy work of the monster by blindly stabbing at it with a nearby stick. Her stone had dimly glowed afterwards, just as Dia's did now.

Dia suspected the Azalea stones protected them by flaring up and channeling some type of mysterious energy into any weapon they possessed. Whatever the power was seemed to seep into whatever object they held in that hand, and the girls discovered they could defeat the monsters that attacked them.

Hanamaru had been enthralled upon this discovery, and Dia could tell the younger girl desperately wanted to get her hands on more information. Unfortunately not much was left of the world, and if there were more tomes like the one Hanamaru had found back at the castle, they most likely had been destroyed.

The realization that they may never truly know or understand the power their stones gave them was frustrating, but at least they could push on knowing they had an upper hand over the monsters. Luckily for them the monsters seemed to realize their power as well, and scattered whenever the girls traveled near. Few brash monsters would challenge them every now and again, but so far Dia experienced no trouble keeping Hanamaru safe.

That was one problem mostly taken care of, but they had yet to find the other Azalea stone holder.

This person eluded them, and without any real leads as to where to look, Dia was beginning to realize how harrowing the task was that Queen Mari had entrusted upon them. They had managed to safely arrive to the town closest to their home, but nothing was left of the once cheery little place.

They pushed on, taking on the rolling fields beyond. A few random groups of travelers crossed their path and exchanged pleasantries here and there, and fighting a monster or two broke up the monotony, but so far they have not discovered anything useful.

The last group they had come across mentioned a makeshift city that had sprung up recently that caught Dia's attention.

The leader of that group mentioned the city had erupted from the ruins of Saint Snow Kingdom, and that it was a gathering place for all the misfits who strayed from their old homes and sought refuge from the monsters. According to him, a few skilled people opened up shop, and the trade there ran on a barter system of goods and information. He spoke of a pub that everyone frequented, and told the women if they were looking for someone, they should be able to find a clue there.

It seemed like a longshot, but so did everything these days.

They had no other leads as to where the third Azalea stone holder could be, but going to a congested area many people passed through sounded more promising than scavenging around abandoned towns. Hanamaru agreed, and they were currently headed in the direction of Saint Snow Kingdom.

The scholar joined Dia's side as they recovered from the monster ambush and continued on, though not even an hour later Dia spotted another monster slinking out of the bushes towards them.

She handed off her pack to Hanamaru, who stepped back as Dia swiftly used one of Ruby's pink ribbons to tie her raven locks into a high ponytail. Dia brandished her trusty dagger, and the silver hilt reflected off the harsh sunlight. Her red Azalea stone glittered to life, and she charged at the monster that had pounced towards them with its fangs bared.

It was going to be a long day.

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Dia leaned back from her drink, a satisfied sigh escaping her parched lips.

After a tumultuous afternoon of traveling and fending off the occasional monster, the pair had made it to the slum city that had grown inside the remains of Saint Snow Kingdom. They had searched for any clues as to who the other Azalea stone holder could be, but had been fruitless in their endeavors.

The largest building still standing had been turned into a pub, and the women settled there as it was the most highly populated spot. Dia had managed to trade her ragged old vest and some rusty goblets they had found in a previous town in exchange for a hot meal and some drinks.

Hanamaru dug into her dinner with a crude fork in one hand while a delicate finger on her other glided over the pages of one of her tomes, her honey eyes drinking in the text.

The younger woman would speak softly every now and again, muttering to herself about the information she was soaking in, as if trying to connect the dots of ideas only she could comprehend.

Dia adjusted herself on the dirty wooden bench and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

Her aqua eyes scanned the room, taking in the rows of tables and dirty travelers who loudly partied over their alcohol and food. The dim lighting of the candles overhead cast a soft glow on the room, and Dia looked back down at her plate of lukewarm chicken and soggy potatoes. She stared blankly at the food as her thoughts floated back to her sister, Ruby, and Queen Mari.

She closed her eyes and tried drowning out the boisterous laughter of the other patrons as she silently prayed that her loved ones were safe.

The weight of a small hand on her back shook the counselor out of her reverie, and she turned with tired eyes to see Hanamaru with a concerned expression on her angelic face.

The scholar licked her lips before speaking, "Ruby will be alright. Queen Mari and the rest of the court will protect her with their lives."

Hanamaru offered Dia a small smile in reassurance as she continued, "I worry about her too, but Ruby is strong! We will find the other stone holder and return to her before too long. Something is going to change soon…I can just feel it, zura!"

Dia couldn't help but chuckle from hearing Hanamaru's foreign dialect quirk.

The scholar was right; they needed to be strong and keep moving - for their Queen, for their world, and for Ruby.

Hanamaru's eyes softened in relief at the renewed energy in the older girl's eyes at her words. She had never really bonded with Dia the way she had with Ruby, but she felt loyalty to her as her superior and doting sister to her best friend.

At the moment, it was just them against the world, and Hanamaru wanted to support Dia in any way she could, even if it was just offering small doses of positivity and reassurance here and there.

Turning back to her food, Hanamaru suddenly gasped at the sight of her amber Azalea stone glowing brighter than she had ever seen it before. It felt as if power was pulsing from the stone, causing small tingles to travel through her body.

She whipped to look at Dia, who was staring at her own bright ruby red stone with the same confused expression.

"Do you think…"

"Could it be…"

Both girls spoke at the same time, and immediately clammed up as they searched each other's eyes for an answer.

A mysterious pull from their stones seemed to guide them to snap away from each other and look at the same place across the room, their eyes landing on a table surrounded by a group of rough looking men.

A lone woman stood at the head of the table. She was tall, and despite her tattered appearance, seemed to hold a regal air about her.

She wore a dark green high-collared tunic with dirty white pants tucked into knee-high brown boots. Her navy hair was tied up in a messy side bun on the side of her head, though most of her hair fell out in loose, long locks that draped over her shoulder. Lavender eyes were narrowed in concentration as she bent over to inspect a weathered map that had been laid out on the table in front of her.

The band of men remained seated with their full attention on the woman. They all leaned forward while clutching their ale, waiting with bated breath for the woman to speak. She must have been someone important to command such attention from the powerful looking ruffians.

They watched as the woman leaned in closer to the map, one hand anchored on the table while the other came up to tuck the stray bangs hanging in her face behind her ear.

The sight of the glittering turquoise moon-shaped stone on the back of her hand caused Dia and Hanamaru to sharply intake air.

Neither could tear their eyes away as they whispered in unison, "The Azalea stone…"

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 **A/N: Originally I had chapter 2 and 3 combined in one, but thought it best to split them. Sorry about the little cliffhanger ;) I think (hope) the next chapter will more than make up for this slightly underwhelming one, so look forward to it! Feel free to let me know your thoughts! xx Cafalla**


	3. The Beast

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The pair sat stunned as they watched the woman, the realization of her existence now commanding their attention.

A breathless "zura" escaped from Hanamaru.

After all this time…they had finally found her - the other Azalea stone holder!

The soft pulsing from their stones solidified their observation – the stone on her hand was in fact an Azalea stone matching their own.

They watched curiously as the woman across the room's demeanor suddenly changed from concentration to confusion. She brought her hand that had been holding her bangs behind her ear down, and she stared with furrowed brows at her stone.

She must have felt the pulsing too!

Her head suddenly shot up, and her sharp eyes immediately honed in on Dia and Hanamaru. She stared at them with a wild gleam in her eyes, and then muttered under her breath before turning away.

The other Azalea stone holder was too far away for Dia and Hanamaru to make out what she was saying, but she seemed to be excusing herself from the group. She kept her head down as she hurriedly made her way to the door, snatching a worn brown cloak off the broken rack on the wall before heading outside.

Dia and Hanamaru clumsily stood and quickly gathered their belongings before rushing through the pub and out the door after her. The chill of the nighttime air hit them upon exit, and they frantically scanned around trying to pinpoint where she went.

Hanamaru's exasperated voice broke out, "Where did she go?"

Dia clutched the strap of her leather pack in suspense. She squinted to try and make out the shapes of the people passing through, but their features were obscured by the night and the dim glow of the rusty streetlights.

It was then that she noticed a lone figure weaving through the rough crowd, headed towards the west gate that lead into the forest.

"There."

Hanamaru strained to see what Dia had noticed, and yelped in surprise after Dia grabbed her wrist and began dragging her down the path.

The other Azalea stone holder ahead of them picked up her pace, but Dia kept her in sight, remaining quick on her trail.

Cautiously, the pair entered the forest after her. After weaving and bobbing through the trees at the edge of the forest, Dia panted out a satisfied huff as the other woman suddenly came to an abrupt stop ahead of them.

Good. She had exhausted herself out and they could finally confront the other wielder of the Azalea stone.

Dia reached forward to grab her arm, but the woman ignored her. Her body was rigidly still, and the only part of her face that Dia could see from beneath her hood was her lips, which were etched into a frown.

The faintest sound of movement ahead of them caused the counselor to snap her head forwards.

Dia, in her haste to confront the blue-haired woman, failed to notice the massive, lumbering presence before them.

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Oh…so _that_ was why she had stopped.

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"D-D-Dia!" The scholar stammered out while tugging on the older woman's sleeve, her eyes glued to the beast.

A trembling "zura" tumbled from Hanamaru's lips in fear.

The monster glared down at them silently, its beady eyes slowly blinking as it watched the frozen group below. It remained still, though it had definitely seen them.

The counselor gulped. This was by far the largest monster she had ever witnessed. Up until now, they had only came across smaller monsters that reached no higher than their waists, but this…this monster towered over them.

Sure, they had the power of the Azalea stones, but they were just three women.

There was no way they were getting out of this alive.

Dia's heart lurched as she thought of never seeing her sister again. She hoped Ruby could forgive her for failing this mission.

An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke, "Do you have weapons?"

Dia turned to the woman they had been chasing as she pulled her hood down to reveal her face. Her lavender eyes remained trained on the monster ahead of them, not daring to divert her attention.

Dia stared blankly as trepidation gripped her heart.

Hanamaru piped up, though her voice betrayed her fear, "Dia has a dagger, b-but I don't have anything."

The navy haired woman nodded and slowly reached down to her boot to pull out a dagger of her own. With narrowed eyes still trained on the beast, she held it out to Hanamaru, who accepted the weapon with trembling hands.

Amber and turquoise Azalea stones glittered at the exchange.

"M-My name is Hanamaru!" The younger girl quickly chimed in.

The woman suddenly brandished a sword, and Dia only just realized she had a sheath attached to the belt at her hip. She briefly wondered how she missed noticing such an obvious weapon.

"Kanan. Unfortunately, we're going to have to fight first and talk later. You two aim for the hind legs and be careful not to get stomped on. I'll handle the rest."

With those vague instructions, the woman they now knew to be named Kanan charged at the beast, who in turn let out a ferocious roar as the first move was made.

The force of the noise caused hot air and dust to blow out at them. Kanan's cloak whipped around behind her as Dia and Hanamaru held up their arms to shield their eyes.

After it passed, they looked up to see Kanan effortlessly dodging the monster's attacks, occasionally striking blows to its gangly legs. The blade of her sword glowed with a turquoise aura.

Dia and Hanamaru stood frozen in awe until Kanan barked out, "I'm gonna need some help over here! Focus on the legs, I'll aim for its head."

Exchanging a hesitant look, Dia nodded in assurance and allowed adrenaline to overtake her as she sprinted toward the monster.

Hanamaru gulped down her fear and followed closely behind.

Kanan jumped back, allowing Dia an opening to slash at the monster's front left leg. Her Azalea stone sparked to life, its deep red color seeping into her dagger as she drew it across the beast's flesh.

Kanan took the opportunity to leap up and aim a turquoise flared stab at its face. She cursed loudly when her blade missed the mark, and the monster snapped at her with jagged fangs as she kicked off its massive jaw to put some distance between them.

While the beast was distracted, Hanamaru jogged over to stand near its right leg and slowly inched forward to land her own attack. Her Azalea stone glowed and amber light flashed out from the dagger she wielded, illuminating her face as she stabbed it into the skeletal limb.

The monster's attention flew to the scholar. Hanamaru gasped in horror and tripped backwards, tangling herself in her robes and falling hard on her backside.

Dia let out a strangled cry as she dashed towards her fallen comrade.

Ruby's crying face flashed front and center in her mind.

She had to protect Hanamaru; she was Ruby's most precious friend.

The counselor dug her heels into the dry dirt and lunged forward to shield Hanamaru. The beast leaned in closely and snarled, baring its fangs and sending thick, inky drool everywhere. Dia helplessly wielded her dagger in front of her, the blood red glow casting an eerie reflection off the monster's pitch black, beady eyes.

The beast roared and stabbed at the ground around them with its wiry, bony claws, effectively caging them in. Dia's heart hammered in her chest, and she grew deaf over the blood pounding in her ears. The beast craned down, allowing a sickening cracking sound to erupt as it opened its jaw wide, posed ready to devour them.

So this was her final moment.

Dia closed her eyes and braced for the pain that was to come.

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As the hot breath of the beast puffed against her as it closed in, a loud battle cry rang out in the clearing.

Then came the sound of cracking bone.

Pained howling.

A loud crash.

Gurgling liquid.

And finally, silence.

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Dust kicked up around them. Moments later a loud whine from Hanamaru behind her caused Dia to snap her head up, and she was met with a jaw-dropping sight.

Kanan heavily panted while crouched atop the beast, her sword buried to the hilt in the center top of its head.

The beast was still, immobilized by the weapon currently lodged in its brain. Its large head that had been hovering right in front of them moments before now rested in the dirt.

Its eye twitched as dark tar-like liquid dribbled through its fangs, pooling at Dia's feet and staining her boots.

"D-Don't just stand there, help me finish it! My power alone isn't enough!"

Dia looked up to see Kanan tightly gripping her sword and gritting her teeth as she held it in place. Her previously disheveled hair was now wildly flowing loose down her back from the force of their battle.

Bright turquoise bubbles of light eerily seeped out from the wound and danced around Kanan like fireflies in the night, highlighting the urgency in her expression.

Regaining her composure, Dia turned to help Hanamaru up. The scholar stared with wide eyes at the beast.

They brandished their daggers, and split up to assemble on either side of the beast's head.

"Now!"

The command from above caused their Azalea stones to flare to life, sparking amber and bright red light to engulf their daggers. They both yelled out as they stabbed their daggers into the monster's cheeks, though because their weapons were not as long as Kanan's sword, they had to get more damage in by yanking the daggers through the flesh and leaving long gash marks along the side of its face.

The power from their combined Azalea stones made easy work of the monster's tough skin, and as the stones' power seeped into the creature, it started to disintegrate. The beast dimly alternated colors between red, blue, and yellow before bursting into light.

Thousands of multicolor bubbles of each of their colors appeared briefly, before floating up and glittering away, just like with previous monsters defeated before it.

Kanan gracefully dropped to the ground and stood, her eyes trained on Dia and Hanamaru as she sheathed her sword.

Now that the monster was gone, peaceful silence returned to settle in the forest around them.

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Adrenaline pulsed through Dia like a roaring flood. The relief of not being in fear for her life was quickly replaced with uncertainty. Dia stared at Kanan, though she couldn't figure out how to address the other Azalea stone holder opposite her.

Kanan calmly threaded her hair back into a messy bun atop her head and wiped the back of her neck.

All Dia could think as she watched her was that this was the person they had been searching for – she was the final piece they needed to possibly save their world.

Shaken a bit by their sudden life-or-death encounter, Dia tightly gripped the dagger in her hands in an effort to calm her nerves.

She instantly thought of Ruby, and took comfort in knowing she would live to see her sister once more.

At least for now, anyways.

After releasing a shaky sigh, Hanamaru panted for air and wiped at her sweaty forehead as she stepped forward to stand beside Dia. The scholar boldly spoke up first, "Kanan…why did you run away from us?"

Kanan's eyebrows knit together. She averted her gaze and said nothing as she unconsciously covered her Azalea stone with her other hand.

This action did not go unnoticed by Dia.

"Is it because of your Azalea stone?" Dia said, focusing intently on the other woman's face, gauging her reaction.

Kanan didn't disappoint as shock overtook her expression, though almost immediately she closed herself back off. Her lavender gaze trailed towards the ground as her lips pursed in dismay.

"I ran because I do not want to leave." She stared down at their amber and dark red stones. "I had a feeling I wasn't the only one with these...powers. One day someone would come for me, and when I caught sight of you two from across the room, I just knew."

Hanamaru's head tilted slightly and Dia raised an eyebrow.

Kanan sighed, "I'm not sure what knowledge you have about these stones, but I don't think anything good can come from us joining them together."

Hanamaru frowned and reached for her satchel. She pulled out the familiar worn tome that had sent them on this journey.

"According to this, we need to use the power gifted to us from these stones to find a ruins of some sort. Then we release the energy inside so we can restore life to the world and rid it of the monsters. Our stones act as the key to opening that gate. Getting rid of the monsters and reviving the world is a good thing!" She pointedly tapped her fingers against the leather cover as she spoke, as if to drive home the plan.

Kanan shook her head at the scholar's confident tone.

Her voice was soft, and Dia had to strain to try and hear her, "I don't believe it's that simple. That could be part of it, but…" Kanan trailed off and uncomfortably shifted her weight.

Dia could sense that she wanted to bolt for it again.

Luckily she didn't, and instead dejectedly shuffled closer towards them. Her dark leather boots scraped against the dirt, voicing her hesitation.

She came to a stop in front of them, and a forced, sheepish smile came to her face. "I guess I just knew I'd have to leave the area once I finally met the other stone holders. I like Saint Snow Kingdom, and I quite enjoy my life as a hunter now, even if the world has fallen to pieces. I knew the time to face the truth would come soon, though I just wasn't expecting it to be tonight…so I panicked."

Hanamaru nodded, accepting Kanan's words.

Dia, however, was not convinced, but the guarded haze she saw in Kanan's eyes told her not to push the subject.

"That actually was the beast we had been tracking for the past couple weeks, so it's lucky I ran into it with you both in tow. The guys were really getting on my case tonight about finding it. At least I can leave with peace of mind knowing that beast won't be terrorizing anyone else."

Dia looked back to the bubbling pile of black drool that rested where the beast had almost devoured them.

Yeah, lucky.

The counselor asked the only question that would determine how they proceeded next, "Are you going to come with us and see this through?"

Kanan pursed her lips at the blunt question, and Dia didn't bother explaining further as she could tell Kanan already seemed to have an idea what harboring the Azalea stone entailed. She wondered if other kingdoms housed similar tomes to the one Hanamaru found in their library, as Dia couldn't figure out how Kanan seemed to be privy to their objective and how it related back to the stones.

"I don't think any of us even know what 'this' truly is...but yes, I will accompany you. It is my duty to honor my birthright, even though I truthfully don't want anything to do with it. I know I ran away before, but I intend to stick with you two from here on out." She smiled back at them, but it didn't appear to reach her eyes.

Dia couldn't shake the feeling Kanan was hiding something.

She pushed the suspicious thoughts away.

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"Well, we're all finally here together so…now what?" The words spoken by Hanamaru hung heavy in the air between them.

Dia thought for a moment, then offered the only logical idea she could think of, "Perhaps we should try putting our stones together?"

She held out her right hand, displaying her blood red heart-shaped Azalea stone. Hanamaru quietly put her hand forward as well, her fingertips inches away from Dia's with her amber star-shaped stone facing up to the sky. Their stones started to spark to life, and softly glowed a bit brighter.

All that was missing from their trifecta was Kanan's turquoise moon stone, and both Dia and Hanamaru looked up at her expectantly.

The taller woman breathed in deeply before slowly bringing her hand up to complete the set.

As if a lock had clicked into place, all three of their stones glittered, and their light glowed brighter and brighter until it illuminated the clearing they were standing in. A golden beam shot up from between them and traveled high into the sky before making a quick right angle. The beam then shot off towards the west.

Dia experimentally withdrew her hand, and the gold beam disappeared.

She held her hand back up to complete their set, and the glittering gold light returned once more, following the same path it had initially showed them.

"It must be pointing us in the direction of the ruins, zura!"

Dia nodded in agreement, and turned to Kanan. Their new companion had remained oddly quiet, and seemed disinterested in the magic they were displaying. Something was definitely bothering her, but Dia did not press to find answers.

They had found the other Azalea stone holder, and she was willingly going along with them on their journey to fix this mess of a world.

That alone was enough for Dia.

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 **A/N: This is by far my favorite chapter of this whole story I think, so I hope everyone enjoyed it! :) This is also my first time writing a big action/fight scene, so I hope I did well and it wasn't too all over the place! Please let me know your thoughts :)**

 **Azaki Kagamine & thelala123: I hope I answered your question about the men Kanan was with! Basically she became a monster hunter for hire, and had been helping the local people track down an unruly beast that had been terrorizing the nearby area. Also about Saint Snow - I just used the name for the ruined Kingdom, so unfortunately no, Leah and Sarah won't be making an appearance. Sorry to disappoint! I just wanted to keep the name somewhat relevant to Love Live Sunshine, and Saint Snow Kingdom just sounded really cool to me haha! :)**

 **xx Cafalla**


	4. The Ivory Tower

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Days turned into weeks as the trio followed the beam of light their joined Azalea stones had created. With their combined powers they were able to fight off the monsters in their path, all of which seemed to grow larger and more difficult to defeat the closer they got to their destination. They were exhausted and weary, but knew they had to push on.

"It's been a few hours. We should check again," Dia's serious tone broke the sound of the huffing and puffing coming from her companions.

Kanan, who had been leading the group, halted and turned her attention back to them. Dia's raven ponytail flipped as she in turn looked back to Hanamaru, who had fallen a bit behind. They waited for Hanamaru to climb the stones to reach them, and Dia gingerly pulled a snack from her bag and held it out to the exhausted scholar.

It was true that they needed to check and make sure they were still on the right path, but it was also about time they took a break to regain some of their energy before continuing their hike.

Hanamaru graciously accepted the snack and plopped down on a large boulder. Kanan and Dia drew close to her and they all held their Azalea stones out, recalling their golden compass once more. The light beam shot up to the sky and turned to direct them in the way they had been traveling.

At least they knew they were still on the right path, even though they currently were trying to traverse a dangerous mountainside .

Luckily no monsters seemed to have taken refuge here, so they did not have to worry about engaging in combat on the jagged terrain.

Kanan pulled away first and turned to go settle on a boulder of her own. She grabbed her worn canteen and took a swig before speaking Dia's earlier thoughts out loud, "We should break for a moment. I have a feeling it's only going to get tougher from here on out."

Kanan pulled a map out of her bag, and unrolled it across her lap. She began studying the path ahead and absorbing the layout of the land ahead of them. The turquoise moon on the back of her hand glittered as Kanan reached up to tuck her bangs behind her ear, a habit of hers she seemed to do when concentrating.

Munching sounds were heard as Hanamaru dug into her snack, and Dia sighed as she claimed her own boulder to rest on.

Even though they were so close to reaching the end of their journey, Dia still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Her sapphire eyes watched Kanan, who was completely immersed in her map. Dia knew the turquoise stone wielder held knowledge of their situation that neither Dia nor Maru knew of, but it was difficult to find an opening to question her about it without sounding accusatory. For the most part, Kanan had been cordial with them, and had willingly come along even though Dia could tell she did not want to for some reason.

Why would she not want to save the world, knowing she had the power to do so?

Kanan had proven herself to be an experienced warrior, even though she had told the counselor and scholar of her history as a lowly castle servant from a far-off kingdom Dia had not heard of. Apparently she had always dreamed of being a warrior and battle strategist, and the decay of the world allowed her to escape her oppressive kingdom and hone her skills.

Her developed fighting skills, mixed with the supernatural power her Azalea stone granted her, had helped her earn the respect of traveling nomads all over, who turned to her when they needed help tracking and defeating unruly monsters that plagued their area. Kanan had apparently garnered a great deal of respect as word traveled of her skills, which explained how she had commanded the attention from the group of ruffians at the pub those many moons ago.

Her tale of hardship and survival made Dia realize she and the rest of Queen Mari's court had been so closed off to the reality of the world around them. Their small party had been safe inside the remains of their castle, which had been well stocked to feed the masses, and only knew of the world through tales the kingdom messengers and occasional nomads had relayed. Once most of the kingdoms all but fell apart and there were no more messengers, their contact with the nitty gritty details of the outside world had all but ceased.

Dia knew that if it weren't for the power of their Azalea stones, both Hanamaru and herself would never had made it this far.

Absentmindedly, Dia wondered how Hanamaru came to survive traveling to Mari's kingdom, since she had not learned of the power of her Azalea stone until their journey. It must have been easier for a single, small traveler to sneak around and avoid detection, Dia surmised.

The sound of crunching gravel broke Dia out of her reverie. Kanan stood and grunted as she hauled her bag over her shoulders and adjusted it on her back.

"Are you both alright to keep going?"

Dia and Hanamaru nodded and stood to stretch their sore limbs before picking up their packs and following Kanan out onto the path once more.

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"Hey, look!"

Dia pulled her hanging head up at Hanamaru's excited voice. Her blue eyes followed the scholar's finger that pointed straight ahead of them, and Dia felt her exhaustion dissipate at the sight.

It was a crumbled building.

The sight was rather plain, for most buildings and structures had fallen into a dilapidated state, but the strange twitch Dia felt from her stone told her they were quickly approaching something significant.

As the trio crept closer upon the building, Dia's jaw dropped in shock as she looked beyond the lone structure to the dozens of other buildings that lay in ruin beyond.

It appeared that they had come across a broken down ruins of an ancient city deep into the mountain bend.

The gravel underneath crunched loudly as they wearily wandered through the ruined city and marveled at the decaying structures. No material items seemed to be left behind, as the buildings were all empty, save for the rubble from when parts of the foundation had crumbled away long before their lifetime.

Kanan vigilantly scouted ahead as Dia and Hanamaru followed and scanned the dilapidated buildings for any signs of movement.

"Over here!"

Dia's attention was drawn to Kanan standing at the end of the path. It appeared as if the narrow street opened up to a town common square of some sort, and Hanamaru jogged ahead of Dia to reach Kanan first.

At the center of the square stood an lone stone obelisk.

As they padded closer, Dia realized that it was covered in abstract carvings. The stone post rose about four feet out of the ground and had three sides which smoothed inward, creating a point. On each flattened side that bent to lead up to the point, was an engraving of a star, a moon, and a heart.

The rapid pulsing from their Azalea stones let them know this was what they had been searching for.

Hanamaru inspected the marker, running her fingers over the carved designs of the shaft.

Their stones guided them to place their hands upon their matching symbol, and Dia grimaced as she wiped away the thick layer of dust that covered the obelisk.

They exchanged hesitant looks, but placed their hands down on their designated side. Each of their respective colors seeped down into the post, illuminating the carved out designs in shades of red, turquoise, and yellow. The earth began to rumble and crack beneath their feet, and the three girls gasped before ripping their hands off the obelisk and fleeing to take cover in the nearest broken down dwellings.

Before their eyes, the obelisk began to rise out from the ground, bringing with it a magnificent ivory tower that slowly tore away the square where they had been standing.

After the unbearable noise of the building erupted had lessened and the quaking had subsided, they waited a few moments before approaching. Despite having witnessed the ground break open the square, the area around the new building was smooth, making it appear as if the tower had always been standing in that spot. Delicate bright green foliage twirled up the sides of the tower, and the gold and silver embellishments that adorned the structure softly shined in the sunlight.

Their heads tilted back in awe as they looked up.

"Amazing…it looks like something from the future, zura!"

Dia and Kanan stared speechlessly at the structure towering above them, and absentmindedly nodded along at the scholar's winded observation. It looked like a brand new structure, and starkly contrasted against the other run-down buildings around it.

"This must be the gate we needed to find…is the life energy stored inside of here?" Dia questioned, looking to her companions for their input.

Kanan stepped forward and tentatively glided her fingers across the side of the tower, reveling in its beauty. The stone was smooth and cold to the touch. "It must be…but I guess there's only one way to find out for sure."

She stepped forward towards the large gold doors. Hanamaru held her breath as they approached. Dia's crystal blue eyes scanned over the carvings on the massive door.

Just like with the obelisk that brought forth the tower, the door held carvings of their Azalea stone symbols.

A slew of symbols trailed down like a list from the top of the door, but the trio of carvings directly above their own vaguely resembled a teardrop, an eye, and…a cat?

Now accustomed to this bizarre routine, the women reached up to place their stones above their designated symbol. Their colors seeped from their stones to their fingers then through the door, filling their symbols with their stone's colorful essence.

A click was heard, and the door creaked open to reveal the inside of the tower, which held nothing but a long winding staircase leading heavenward.

Exchanging determined looks, they began their ascent. Three pairs of leather boots scuffed against the marble stairs, and it was amazing how bright the tower was inside given that it had no windows.

"I can't believe we're finally here," Dia muttered as her gaze flitted around to take in every inch of the tower they were climbing.

The inside walls were glossy and white, as were the marble stairs they climbed. It reminded Dia of Queen Mari's castle in its prime, long before the world fell to shreds. Her Queen always had an eye for the shiny yet sophisticated.

A small smile found its way to Dia's lips as she mused over her Queen. Her smile faded as quickly as it arrived, however. She felt nervous for what was to come, but also relieved that their journey was almost over and she would be able to see her sister again.

If the release of the purification energy worked out like how the text said it would, their trek back to their homeland would be long, but easier and free of monsters and danger.

After another minute of climbing, Hanamaru gasped from beside her as they reached the summit.

At the top of the stairs was an open room encased all around by large windows. Delicate gold lining, much like those seen on the outside of the tower, decorated the inside, and viridian vines with flowers crept along the perimeter and threaded up towards the ceiling. An arched dome of glass formed the ceiling.

The view down the jagged mountain and into the torn valleys far in the distance contrasted greatly with the beauty and cleanliness of the chambers, and the intense sunlight that filtered inside made Dia feel unnaturally warm.

Kanan was focused solely on the center of the room with a stern look on her face. Three short podiums were arranged in a triangular shape around a pillar housing a large glass orb at the center of the room.

Unsurprisingly, each post housed a symbol that corresponded with their Azalea stones.

Kanan's guarded and weary expression did little to keep the nerves Dia was starting to feel at bay.

"What is it?"

The taller girl just shrugged, but Dia noticed the stiffness in her movements. "Nothing. Just trying to figure out what may happen when we place our hands there."

Dia had pushed Kanan's standoffish behavior to back of her mind for so long, and just chalked it up to the other girl simply keeping her guard up.

Now the counselor started the wonder if ignoring their mysterious companion had been a mistake.

Hanamaru's interest had been peaked, and she approached them from the other side of the room. Her satchel bounced against her hip, making thumping noises as she walked. "Well, some type of healing energy should be released. Then everything will go back to normal!" She smiled brightly, trying to soothe Kanan's uncertainty.

"How do we know that book is telling the truth? That seems like a rather easy fix to a disastrous problem…there has to be a catch, right?" Kanan stared back at the younger woman as Dia looked on.

Hanamaru's brows knit as she racked her brain. "We don't know if the book is telling the truth," she started slowly, "But I do know I have never come across anything else to hint at why we were born with these stones," she held up her hand to show off her amber star-shaped Azalea stone. "It's the only lead we have, and we have traveled all this way to not at least see what lies at the end of the path."

Dia glanced down at her own Azalea stone, its blood-red color contrasting dramatically against her pale skin.

Kanan frowned and all but whispered as she stepped forward to tentatively gilde her fingers across one of the podiums. "But...what if it doesn't work? What if the outcome isn't exactly what we were promised?"

Hanamaru's face mirrored Kanan's as she frowned too.

Dia turned away from her stewing companions and padded toward the podium that was illuminated in a faint red light. The side decorated with an insignia that looked much like her crude heart-shaped stone stared back at her, and she breathed deeply before slapping her hand down and declaring, "Hanamaru's right. We won't know for sure until we try. What else can we really do at this point, except see this through?"

Her podium began to glow brighter with red energy.

Despite the calm demeanor Dia was trying to emit to urge her friends forward, her stomach twisted with hesitancy at Kanan's hesitant words.

What if the outcome wasn't exactly what they had been expecting it to be?

Hanamaru smiled reassuringly and some of the tension in Kanan's forehead smoothed away, though the unbelieving glint in her eyes remained.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. We've come too far to just turn back now."

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 **A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates as of late! I had a family trip and company staying over for a while, so I haven't really been able to work on uploading!**


	5. Revelations

After swallowing their nerves, Hanamaru and Kanan walked over to join Dia at the post in the middle of the room, and took their place on their designated side reflecting their stones.

The two remaining Azalea stone holders placed their hands down on the post, filling it with their energy. The posts glowed and suddenly the ground pulled away beneath them, leaving them floating atop their own tiles attached to their posts. They all stared in wonder as they were lifted up towards the glass dome ceiling.

The inside of the room became enveloped in a dark veil, and the glass orb rose up after them as it began to glow a soft yellow that pushed out towards them as their individual posts pulsed with their respective Azalea stone colors. Glittering stars peppered the ceiling, and no one spoke for fear of breaking the illusion.

When the movement appeared to die down, the three of them gasped in unison as angelic figures appeared before each of them. They stood atop a translucent floor of gold light before them, as if summoning the ground beneath them by magic.

In front of Hanamaru stood a girl of equal tiny stature with pixie short orange hair and a bright smile. A large golden cat rested at her feet.

Before Kanan stood an equally regal looking woman with a mysterious aura, who had purple hair that was held back in long, low hanging twin tails decorated with lace ribbons. She held a deck of cards in her hands, but Dia could not make out what type of cards they were.

The woman who appeared in front of Dia held a solemn expression and had dark ocean waves of navy hair. Her grip was wrapped around a marvelous silver trident decorated with nine different colored jewels. All three of them were draped in otherworldly elegant white gowns and robes with gold and silver embellishments, reflecting the very tower they inhabited.

Amber eyes of the woman in front of her locked onto Dia, commanding her attention. The counselor couldn't rip her gaze away.

"W-Who are you?" Hanamaru stuttered in surprise.

The three beings before them smiled warmly.

The orange haired girl hopped in place, disturbing the cat seated by her feet, and waived eagerly. "I'm Rin, nya!"

The woman in front of Dia was less enthusiastic, but offered Dia a serene smile. "My name is Umi."

"And as you already know, my name is Nozomi." The purple haired woman brandished a card, which Dia now could tell were tarot cards – the empress - and winked at Kanan. Their companion's eye twitched, as if she was trying to will the ethereal woman in front of her to cut it out.

Wait…what did she mean as they already _knew_?

Dia raised an eyebrow at Nozomi's wording, but her attention was pulled away as Umi announced, "And together, we are the holders of the Lily White stones."

All three of the Azalea stone holders were taken aback as the women in front of them pulled up the sleeves of their silk robes to reveal stones embedded in their right forearms that looked just like their Azalea stones. Umi's was a deep blue stone in the shape of a teardrop, Nozomi's lavender stone was in the shape of an eye, and Rin's cat silhouette stone glittered a bright orange color. While still crude and jagged on their flawless skin, their Lily White stones were much more intricate in design than their Azalea stone designs were.

"Lily...White?"

Nozomi turned her head to address Dia's inquiry, "Yes, Dia-chi. Lily White."

Dia pointed to herself and mouthed "Dia…chi?" while looking up at Umi, who simply shrugged.

"Nozomi likes to give people cute nicknames!" Rin piped up, "I think all names are cute if you just add a 'nya' to the end. Right, Hanamaru-nya?"

Hanamaru's eyes lit up and the scholar giggled with glee.

"Yes! That is very cute, zura!" She clasped a hand over her mouth at her vocal tic, but the excited smile on Rin's face willed Hanamaru to lower her guard.

"Zura? You have a catchphrase too, nya!" Both girls laughed together and began animatedly giggling back and forth. A series of "nyas" and "zuras" floated across the room with their airy chatter.

The fortune teller turned back to Dia and revealed to her another tarot card between her pointer and middle finger – temperance.

Dia had no idea what these cards were meant to symbolize in this moment, but she felt strangely threatened.

"Lily White is not a flower like the Azalea, despite having lily in its name. It represents purity and rebirth, which is fitting as our powers serve to purify and restore what has been soiled." She flicked the temperance card back into her deck and grabbed another card, ruefully displaying the devil arcana. "I find it interesting that your stones are named after a flower known to be toxic in nature, however."

"We were born with stones in our arms, just as you were born with stones on the back of your hands," Umi said while pushing her sleeve back down and dragging the conversation away from Nozomi. Dia was secretly grateful for that.

"Our Lily White stones led us on a journey similar to yours when the planet was in peril long ago, and now that the world needs a special power to save itself again, the Azalea stone formed and found its possessors."

"So…that means we are not the first ones to have these types of powers?" Dia questioned, and remembered the long list of symbols that were displayed on the tower door.

Umi shook her head, causing her ocean waves to swish across her back like the tide lapping against the shore. "Something similar has happened to the world before, and is now happening again. I'm afraid it'll only repeat the cycle indefinitely, and rely on those entrusted with the stones to save it each time."

The counselor crossed her arms and brought her hand up to cup her chin as she reflected on this little bit of information.

Umi watched patiently, her eyes trained upon the red Azalea stone that reflected the glowing light around them.

"Wait."

Something felt… _off_.

Dia turned to stare directly at Nozomi and Kanan, both of whom had been exchanging words in a hushed manner.

"What did you mean by that earlier, when you said 'as we already knew'? I certainly did not know any of you before now, but apparently you all already know our names despite us not having introduced ourselves."

Kanan visibly flinched, yet Nozomi smiled, though the expression unnerved Dia as it did not appear to reach her eyes. "I guess there's no use hiding it any longer."

Dia's eyes flickered to Rin, whose expression sobered dramatically, and Umi, who averted her gaze. Hanamaru glanced between her new friend Rin and the other two Lily White stone holders, confusion evident in her eyes. Kanan's hands were fisted at her sides, and she looked as if she was about to throw up.

Nozomi busied her hands with shuffling the deck of cards as she spoke, "We are celestial beings, so having the knowledge of your names should not be surprising. However, I myself have the additional power of telepathy, and have been in communication with Kanan a few times before you all found one another."

Dia narrowed her eyes at this. Her gaze wavered over Kanan, who turned away and awkwardly crossed her arms.

"You both managed to find each other before your Azalea stones awakened, and had never truly been in a life threatening situation until you set off to find Kanan," Nozomi said as she pointedly looked between Dia and Hanamaru, "So, you simply did not require their power until then, but Kanan had to tap into her power much earlier in order to survive to get to this point. When I felt Kanan pull on her powers, I decided to aid her a bit until she was united with the others who were entrusted with the Azalea stones. Once you encountered her at the inn, I felt no need to keep in contact with her as I knew you would all arrive here eventually."

"Were you the ones who brought us together?" Dia bluntly asked.

"No. Nozomi has the special power to communicate with her predecessor unlike Rin and I, but none of us have any control over your actions. The stones are what brought you all together. They tend to naturally pull together, affecting your choices on a subconscious level. You were all bound to find each other eventually."

"Then what was that beam of light that lead us here? Was that a power from the stones as well?"

Nozomi winked at Dia, "Of course, they're quite amazing little gems, yes? That's why you need all three stones to unlock the compass to get here. A single stone holder could not find this place on their own, and even if they could, they would not be able to unlock the tower or the gate without all three of the stones in their set."

"What about the book? That's the whole reason why we made it here, so what is that about, zura?"

Everyone turned to Hanamaru, who had withdrawn the tome from her pack and was holding it up.

Rin held a finger to her chin and looked up in a pensive manner. "There wasn't anything written outlining these events when our time came. Our friends back home may have made the connection between our stones, us leaving, and then world being brought back to life."

Hanamaru flipped through the brittle pages of the worn book to find the short entry written about the stones and the purification power. She spoke awkwardly as she squinted and tried to make out the signature following the passage describing the stones, "N...Nishi...kino?"

Her delicate eyebrow raised as she waited for anyone to claim recognition.

Umi nodded, "Maki. Yes, that makes sense. It was not uncommon for her to write her theories and observations down. If any author would have had a book that stayed within royal grounds for so long, it would be hers. Anyways, we made this journey to release the energy here long ago, and upon our sacrifice, we were granted with the task of guarding the gate until the next set of stone holders arrived."

Hanamaru closed the book and slipped it back into her satchel, a bit disappointed that there was nothing to elaborate on regarding the text. "You mean us?"

"Yes, and after you three release the energy that has been storing up since we spent it, you will replace us. It will be up to you three to guard the energy in this tower, and serve as new guides for the next set of stone holders. And so on, and so forth."

"Sacrifice…" Dia murmured, as it was the word that stuck out and made her head start reeling. "We…won't be able to survive unlocking and releasing the purification energy, will we?"

"No, we won't." Kanan finally spoke, but her voice was soft and full of despair. Her lavender eyes clashed with Nozomi's turquoise ones, burning with guilt. "That's what you insinuated all those months ago, anyways."

A gasp was heard from Hanamaru, and Dia's brows knit together as she studied the secretive fortune teller. Nozomi replied without hesitation, though her eyes had softened and her voice was heavy with empathy, "No, none of you will be able to survive. Just as we were, you were born bearing the keys to open the door to everyone else's salvation."

A knot formed in Dia's stomach, and she analyzed everyone's faces in an attempt to find any hint of jest.

"So you knew?" The stone cold venom in Hanamaru's voice surprised her, as Dia had never witnessed the younger woman speak in such a tone. "That is why you ran away from us."

"I didn't know exactly...but I had a feeling…" Kanan trailed off with anguish in her eyes as she stared back at Hanamaru.

"Why didn't you tell us?! I think we had a right to know!" Hanamaru shouted across the room.

Dia agreed, but did not chime in as she awaited Kanan's reaction.

Kanan pushed her bangs back as she huffed, "What good would it have done? I didn't have proof, only speculation. Nozomi never outright told me we would die, but honestly, how could we undergo something this big and not survive?"

This caused Hanamaru to recoil, as she knew Kanan had a point.

"How...how could I break it to you that your valiant effort could possibly result in you never seeing your loved ones again?" She sighed deeply as Hanamaru stood tense at this admission. Kanan's lavender eyes shot to Dia, who could only sadly look back at her. "I guess I failed to realize you'd eventually find out regardless."

Hanamaru sighed deeply in defeat, as she knew none of this was truly Kanan's fault. It was the fault of the universe that commanded them, and it was reasonable to want to flee the damned responsibility that was quite literally thrust into their hands.

Nozomi shuffled her deck and brandished a new tarot card. The hanged man.

"The stones will always find a way back together again, no matter how far you run. Destiny too, always catches up to us in the end." The fortune teller's lips pursed as her eyes reflected pain from a time long ago.

Umi and Rin too, held solemn expressions at their friend's words.

"So...we can either choose to die to revive the world, or knowingly neglect to release the purification energy which will cause everyone to suffer?" Dia asked as her heart constricted in agony. All she could think about was her baby sister back at home.

She glanced over to Hanamaru, who held a similar conflicted expression. They both loved and cherished Ruby, and she was their motivation for seeing this through.

They could go through with it and sacrifice themselves to purify the world, or they could be selfish and leave now to spend the remaining days of the planet with their loved ones.

A tickling sensation on her cheek caused Dia to reach up and touch her face. She pulled away her fingers to see that they were wet with fresh tears.

Oh, how Dia so desperately wanted to be selfish.

"Okay, I'm in."

Hanamaru blurted out in surprise, "Dia! What about Ruby?"

She turned to Hanamaru, who faltered at seeing the tears running down Dia's unusually calm face.

The fear in the scholar's voice struck a chord with Dia, but she breathed deeply before replying, "I'm doing it for Ruby. She was the one who wanted us to save the world, and I'm willing to sacrifice myself if it means that she can live in a beautiful world without fear."

Waves of emotion flooded Hanamaru's kind eyes as her lips trembled.

The Lily White stone holders were quiet as they watched on.

"To be honest, I don't want to do it," Kanan said. Her lips fell into a deep frown as her eyes glossed over in apprehension. "But I don't have anything to lose except myself. Even then, I will be allowed to live on in spirit. I can handle serving as a guardian. I wouldn't expect you or Hanamaru to accept this, though. Especially because I had the time to come to terms with this fate, and I kept you both from having that."

Kanan looked down in shame, and for the first time since this whole ordeal began, Dia felt a sense of understanding with the other woman.

Kanan wasn't the bad guy, she was just afraid, and decided it was best to save Dia and Hanamaru that same long-term trepidation of their inevitable fate.

"Okay. If Dia is in, I'm in too," Hanamaru's small voice broke Dia's thoughts. "This outcome is not ideal, but I was already resigned to the fact I would do anything to see this mission through when I accepted, zura."

Dia nodded, agreeing to everything her companion said. She hoped Hanamaru could sense the appreciation in her eyes.

To her other side, Dia heard Kanan breathlessly chuckle, "I guess we can't deny our fate, huh?"

.

.

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 **A/N: Whew, quite a long chapter! Their swift resignation of their situation may be a bit too rushed, but I think in their situation they know deep down they have to see it through, so there's not point delaying the inevitable ;p**

 **Also, what do you think about how I added Lily White in there? I know a lot of people draw parallels between the u's and aqours subunits, but it's especially apparent with Lily White/AZALEA, I think :|a I hope it isn't too cheesy or forced and that my characterizations are in line...admittedly this is my first time writing so many characters interacting at once, so I hope it's not sloppy or hard to follow.**

 **That being said, I have a few paragraphs written for the next chapter, but nothing else...so the next update may be a ways out. Luckily I know the direction it's going and how I want it to end, it's just a matter of writing it all out and editing. Either way, I hope you still will look forward to the next chapter and the rest of the story!**

 **jaredjiro: I agree, I know the "born with something magical on my body/I'm born to be the chosen one" thing is pretty overdone, but I thought it would be fun to explore and write about it at least once ;o And I haven't really thought about doing other stories for the subunits, but I won't write the possibility off! Maybe a pirate cyaron or a gothic guilty kiss story would be fun to explore (since OotS is based on galaxy hide and seek). Anyways, I hope the following chapters from your first review piqued your interest and that you're enjoying the story ^^**

 **xx Cafalla**


	6. Sacrifice

"This is a heavy burden to bear, but we have faith in you three," Umi solemnly declared. Rin and Nozomi nodded in agreement.

A thought struck Dia, "What will happen to you after we take your place?"

Hanamaru gaped at this and turned to Rin, who offered her a small smile in reassurance, "Don't worry, Hanamaru-nya. We'll be able to return to our friends up above."

The cat at Rin's feet, which had been dozing quietly up until this point, rose and pointed its nose heavenward with glistening eyes. Hanamaru followed its gaze, and realization hit her as she stared at the stars above. "Oh...I see."

"When your predecessors arrive to do their duty, then you will be reunited with your friends and loved ones as well," Nozomi stated with a bittersweet expression.

She absentmindedly tugged at a fluffy white tie around her wrist, and Dia only then took notice of the accessory. It looked like it could be a hairpiece, like the ribbons Ruby used to tie her hair up, but Dia couldn't be sure. Nozomi stared down at it with eyes full of longing.

"Will it hurt?" Attention turned to Kanan, who flushed red as all eyes landed on her. "I know it doesn't really matter, but when anyone thinks about their ending, they can't help but wonder if it will be painful."

"I don't actually remember what opening the gate was like. It happened at least a hundred years ago..." Umi trailed off with her admission.

Rin and Nozomi both held similar expressions of uncertainty as they tried to remember their last mortal moments.

"I just remember waking up from a groggy sleep and feeling weightless," Nozomi murmured. "But we were able to communicate with one another before appearing here to fulfill our gate-keeping duties. In my case, I also was able to communicate with Kanan."

Kanan's lips quirked at the lack of closure, and she ran a hand through her messy bangs.

Hanamaru shifted her weight back and forth on her podium in apprehension.

Dia breathed out a deep sigh.

She was making the right choice - she was saving Ruby, the Queen, and her court from suffering. This was her Queen's mission, her birthright, and Dia would be a coward if she backed down.

Hanamaru and Kanan seemed deep in thought, probably reassuring themselves of the greater good that will come from their sacrifice, just as Dia was. Both of her fellow Azalea stone holders looked to her and gave curt nods with a fiery resolve in their eyes. Dia's lips quirked into a bittersweet smile as she thought of her sister back home.

"Shall we start?" Dia asked.

Umi looked between the three of them and nodded, "If you are ready, we will begin."

The Lily White holders stepped aside, and the podiums creaked as they slowly moved closer to the center of the room towards the glass sphere that was projecting the golden starlight. The podiums came to a halt, as if locking into place against three sides of the globe, and Umi came to rest at Dia's side, as did Rin and Nozomi to Hanamaru and Kanan's sides.

"All you need to do is place your stone hand against it, and the gate will do the rest."

"So, this is the gate," Dia muttered under her breath as she stared intensely at the glass orb full of golden light. She gulped down her trepidation and placed her hand on the sphere.

Her Azalea stone glowed brightly, and she curiously watched as red energy began to seep down into the globe from beneath her touch. Hanamaru and Kanan followed her lead, placing their hands on the glass as well. Yellow and turquoise energy flowed from their hands down into the globe to mix with Dia's red energy. They watched in awe as the glittering energy swirled within the glass orb, giving off a welcoming warmth.

"The world thanks you for your service."

The hot breath ghosting against Dia's ear caused her to flinch with a loud gasp, but before she could reply, the Lily White women vanished, leaving behind glittering smoke of their designated colors in their wake.

The disappearance of their predecessors caused Dia's companions snapped their heads up at the missing trio, but the screech of whooshing wind erased the sound of any exclamations coming from their lips.

Dia grit her teeth and shielded her face with her arm, straining to look at the globe beneath her Azalea stone's touch. She was unable to rip her hand away from the smooth surface of the glass orb.

The warm light from within the globe darkened, the energy releasing from beneath her fingertips was overwhelming.

The chamber was drowned in darkness, and Dia could only hear the muffled cries of her comrades as they tried to make sense of the situation. A strangled noise began to escape Dia as she struggled to keep her legs from giving out on her, but the force suddenly ceased as a blinding green energy burst from the globe and enveloped the room with a soft, ethereal layer.

Dia lowered her arm and stared in amazement at the glass beneath her hand, and looked around to meet Hanamaru and Kanan's distressed faces. They were equally wild in their confusion and fear of what was happening.

A glitter of golden energy snaked out from the top of the globe and slowly floated to Kanan, who stared at it with wide lavender eyes. The energy did not harm her, but instead playfully twirled around her body, and Dia and Hanamaru watched with parted lips as Kanan's dirty clothes dissolved into a breathtaking white gown. Her hair was magically pulled from its sloppy updo, and now cascaded down her back in soft waves with golden ribbons entwined throughout the strands.

Kanan jumped with a gasp as a dark blue tiger materialized at her side, sitting dutifully with a gentle expression on its feline face as it looked up to her. It blinked slowly, and she tentatively reached out to caress its head. It purred loudly at the attention.

Finally, the orb released its hold on her Azalea stone hand, and a powerful, silver sword materialized in her awaiting palms. Kanan stared with a confused expression after the golden light that left her side and trailed over to Hanamaru.

Hanamaru hesitantly looked to Dia as the energy came to twirl around her as well, softly draping her petite body with a white gown decorated with orange and yellow flowers. Gold and silver accessories appeared on her arms, neck, and in her hair, and after her hand was released from the pull of the glass, Hanamaru reached for the beautiful gold book with a jeweled spine that materialized in front of her. The tome was comically large, but she held it in her small hands with ease.

Hanamaru carefully cracked open the book, and her eyes grew wide as they scanned whatever was inscribed on the pages within.

The golden energy floated away from Hanamaru and towards Dia, though she now knew it would not harm her. As it circled her form, Dia closed her eyes and relished in the warm comfort it brought with it.

She felt her hair pull itself up into a bun, and the weight of what she could only assume to be a crown or a tiara now rested on her head. Dia looked down to see the light replace her traveling clothes with an equally gorgeous white gown to match Hanamaru and Kanan's dresses, with its own unique gold and silver embellishments decorating the fabric.

A staff, much like the one Umi had wielded, materialized in front of her, and Dia withdrew her hand from the globe to reach for it. The staff was silver, with beautiful carvings in the wand leading to the head that consisted of a giant heart-shaped stone. She ran her fingers up the length of the staff before reaching the red heart gem, and when she touched it, an image began to materialize in the center of it.

Dia felt her heart lurch as the image revealed itself to be of her sister, sitting quietly reading a book with a small smile on her face. Tears pricked her eyes, and her grip tightened on the wand, thankful that the magic allowed her to see her sister.

Its work was complete, so the golden energy withdrew from her side and flowed back into the globe in front of them.

The women did not know what was to be done now, and could merely exchange bewildered looks. A low humming noise drew their attention back to the sphere, which was now full to the brim with a soft, bright green energy.

Dia inhaled and parted her lips to speak, but the sound of shattering glass caused all three to cry out as the previously contained energy pushed out towards them with a roaring release.

It was the most beautiful and most horrific sight to Dia, and she quickly succumbed to the power that overtook her.

She felt herself collapse onto the podium as all of her senses were drowned out by overwhelming hum of the energy spewing from the open gate. The serene vision of her sister entered her aching head as her vision drifted into darkness.

.

.

.

"My Queen, look!"

Ruby curiously peered up from her book at Alchemist Yohane's exclamation, and her blue eyes drifted over to Queen Mari.

"What is it now, Yo-shi-ko? Did another monster get stuck in one of your homemade traps?" Mari teased as she leaned forward in her throne with a cunning cat-like smile. Clearly assuming her resident alchemist was excited over the prospect of having a new monster to observe.

Yohane spun around and stomped her foot with a huff, "You know it's Yo-ha-ne!"

Ruby shook her head in amusement at their antics, and turned her attention back towards the book in her lap.

However, the fearful words uttered from the alchemist's lips caused her blood to freeze.

"B-But seriously! There's some kind of weird, green light s-sweeping towards us!"

This caught the Queen's attention as well, and Ruby furrowed her brows as Mari stood from her throne to pad over to where Yohane stood at the nearby window.

"Oh...my…."

The bewilderment in her Queen's tone unsettled Ruby, and the girl stood up, her forgotten book tumbling to the floor and landing at her feet in a crumpled mess. She hiked her skirts up and jogged across the room to join them at the window.

Ruby's breath caught in her throat as her gaze landed on a large wall of green light rapidly approaching from across the barren wasteland beyond the broken gate of the castle. It was a glittering wall of pastel light, and she couldn't tear her gaze away as it rolled across the fields towards them.

"What do we do?" Ruby whispered.

A warm weight on her back pulled her attention up to the Queen at her side. Mari stared out the window with furrowed brows, "I don't think there's anything we can do."

Ruby felt her heartbeat falter, and her crystal gaze landed on Yohane, whose knuckles were turning white as she gripped the window seal at Mari's uncertain words.

As the green wave rushed closer, their Queen grabbed hold of each of their hands and gave them a firm squeeze in reassurance.

Ruby thought of Dia and Hanamaru, and a strange pang rang out deep in her gut. An empty feeling took over her, and she snapped her head up to stare the green energy head-on as it crashed over the castle.

This was happening because of them.

They had managed to find the third holder, and successfully opened the gate!

...

And now they were gone.

The wave flooded the castle, encasing everything in its surprisingly gentle glow. The cracks in the walls began to stitch back together, the torn draperies mended themselves, and the gloom that had settled in the air for so many years seemed to dissipate. As quickly as the energy appeared, it was gone, and Ruby stared blankly out the window at the beautiful green pastures that had replaced the ruined ash fields beyond the castle walls. Bright sunshine glittered through the window, and she could see that the outside courtyard had been restored to the decadent cobblestone garden it had once been before the world fell to ruin.

Ruby could only imagine that the rest of the castle, and the rest of the world, was becoming whole and new again.

All because of the Azalea stone holders.

"They did it!"

"They really managed to do it!"

She heard Queen Mari and Alchemist Yohane squeal with joy at realizing that the dark times have been lifted, but Ruby knew it was only at the expense of Dia, Hanamaru, and the third Azalea stone holder's lives.

Though there was no definitive proof that they perished, Ruby just knew they were not of this Earth anymore.

And it was all because of her encouragement, her plea for them to go out on this dangerous quest and try to right the unjust wrongs of the world.

Ruby barely registered Mari and Yohane rushing out of the throne room to rejoice with the others over the success of Dia and Hanamaru's mission. All she could do was stare out at the magnificent new world that her dearest loved ones set out to give her. Tears rolled down her chin, and Ruby brought a trembling hand up to wipe at her wet cheeks.

The fresh, empty hole that emerged in her chest pulsed painfully, and the woman crumpled to the floor with a sob.

She held her face in her hands as she wept for the sacrifice made in order to save everyone and restore life to the world.

.

.

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 **A/N: Sorry for the long gap between updates! I only have about another chapter, maybe two, planned, and I'm afraid it might be awhile until I can get them written D: I hope they will be worth the wait though, as I am quite excited about the ending I have planned :) Thanks for reading! xx**


	7. Beyond The Gate

"Hello?"

Dia's head spun as she tried to tune into the warbling voice that lulled her into consciousness.

"Is anyone there, zura?"

 _Zura_? Why did that sound familiar?

Dia willed her eyes to open as she sat up, finding the movement unnaturally easy despite her aching head. Her fingers stung as they were gripped around what felt like cold metal. Finally, her blue eyes open to be met with the sight of the silver staff that rested in her lap, it's harsh metal juxtaposed against the delicate, flowing drapery of a foreign gown.

Oh, that's right. They had opened the gate.

Or at least, she thought that's what they had done.

"Dia? Kanan?"

Her head snapped up at her name, realizing it was Hanamaru calling to her.

Dia stood, taking note of the darkness that blanketed everything in sight. She spun on her heel, but was only met with pitch black stretching out as far as she could see. The heart gem on the end of her staff cast a soft red glow - the only light source in this depressing field of midnight. The stone on her hand did not shine with the familiar crimson light, but it's jagged edges were still present on her skin.

"Please, answer me!"

Hanamaru's cry pushed Dia to start blindly shuffling towards the sound of her voice. She licked her lips and tried to call out to the scholar, but her throat was painfully dry.

"I'm in the study, so please, come if you can hear me!"

The study?

Dia wasn't sure what that meant, but she pressed forward with hesitant steps in the direction she heard Hanamaru's voice echo from. She held the staff out in front of her like a lantern, even though it did little to shed insight on the darkness that surrounded her. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed a tiny blue spec on the horizon. She picked up her pace and followed after it.

"W-Wait!" Her voice was gravely, and Dia wasn't sure if she could be heard.

Surprisingly, the spec stopped, and Dia hiked her dress up as she ran towards it.

It was exhilarating, running through the blanket of darkness without anxiety or fear of crashing into anything, and she noticed she was not running out of breath from the exertion at all. The blue spec grew closer as she gained ground on it, and Dia let out a surprised gasp as the blue - no, turquoise - light illuminated off of a monstrous tiger. The glow from its body reflected upon the elegant face of her fellow Azalea stone holder, whose hand was resting on the creature's shoulder blades.

"Dia!" Kanan called, having noticed at the same time the bobbing red light belonged to her companion.

Relief flooded her face as Dia stopped in front of her. The combined energy of their lights cast a wider net around them, but still did not display anything other than a dark floor beneath them. She stared in awe at the glowing tiger at Kanan's side.

The tiger blinked slowly up at Dia, and Kanan laughed as she caressed its ear. "Amazing, isn't he?"

"Indeed."

"It looks like we've been given guides for traversing...whatever this place is supposed to be," Kanan said, her head tilting to look at the darkness surrounding them.

"It seems like it," Dia replied. Her grip tightened around her staff. "Did you hear Hanamaru, too?"

"Yes, I was trying to head towards her voice, but it's so hard to know where I'm going. I haven't caught sight of a yellow light yet."

Dia frowned. That wasn't good news. "She said something about a study, but that would imply there is a room of some sort she is inside."

The tiger at Kanan's side nudged her thigh, and began walking away. They followed after him, not knowing what else to do.

"We haven't come across any room, or any obstacle at all for that matter. It seems like you can walk through here, in any direction, without running into anything."

Dia nodded at Kanan's observation, but both knew it wasn't helpful in the slightest.

"What do you think this is, Dia? This place, I mean. All I remember was the gate shattering, and then I woke up here."

"That's the same for me. If I had to guess, we're in some sort of limbo," Dia mused solemnly.

"Limbo?"

The tiger stopped to look back at them, and Dia could've sworn he inclined his chin the slightest, as if in concurrence with her observation.

She cleared her throat and tried to explain, "Maybe this is where we remain until the next stone holders come forth. Lily White did not seem to recall much of what happened during their time before appearing to us, though they knew they could communicate with one another. Perhaps they were stuck in a similar place, with only each other for company."

Kanan looked between the tiger and Dia with a conflicted expression on her face. "Oh, I guess that makes sense."

A sad smile tugged on Dia's lips, as she felt the same despair settling in.

Would they be stuck here in the endless abyss for possibly hundreds of years with no memories to show for it?

"I could be wrong though, as that's just a hunch. Regardless, we should keep looking for Hanamaru."

Kanan's lips were tight as she nodded, and her tiger familiar nuzzled her thigh before walking away again. The tall, navy-haired woman gave Dia an apathetic shrug before following after the glowing tiger.

They walked silently through the perpetual landscape of shadow. Time and distance seemed to not exist in this realm. They walked for what felt like hours, but Dia's gut was uneasy at knowing they might not actually be making any progress. Nervous waves radiated off Kanan, and Dia knew she was feeling the same apprehension towards their situation. The tiger leading them, however, seemed unperturbed, and continued walking, his strides neither confident nor frantic. If anything, he seemed to be casually heading towards a destination only he could see.

A low hum erupted from the feline, causing the two women to flinch in surprise. He relaxed back on his haunches and turned to them with an expression Dia could only read as pleased on his feline face. The tiger slowly blinked, and turned to look back ahead before inclining his muzzle.

"Look!" Dia followed Kanan's pointing finger, noticing a faint amber light radiating over the horizon.

"That must be where Hanamaru is," Dia said.

Some of the anxiety that built within her began to wane at the thought of reuniting with her sister's dearest friend. Hanamaru's presence had grown to greatly soothed Dia, and she understood why the younger woman had such a positive effect on her shy sister.

Kanan's relieved expression shone back at her from the red glow reflected off of Dia's staff, and the turquoise tiger nodded his head.

"Thank you, Haku."

A satisfied rumble in the tiger's chest caused Kanan to giggle as she squatted down to pet his head.

"Haku?" Dia asked with a raised brow.

"Well, he deserves a name, doesn't he?"

Haku tilted his head as he stared at Dia, seemingly seeking her approval. She smiled and joined Kanan in patting his head. "Yes, you have been a great help, Haku."

After basking in their attention, Haku stood and nodded his head up towards where the gold light was shining in the distance. Dia's grip on her staff tightened as she turned to Kanan and said, "Let's go find Hanamaru."

.

.

.

The two Azalea stone holders squinted as they neared a strange door propped ajar. Golden light emanated from the strange door, all but blinding them when compared to the muted glow of Haku and the staff they had grown accustomed to. Haku seemed unphased by it as he pushed the door open with his muzzle and boldly walked inside.

Dia exchanged a weary look with Kanan, but their worries vanished in relief at the voice that piped up in surprise from within. They walked in to see Hanamaru sitting cross-legged on the floor with her celestial book opened before her. A soft amber glow radiated from the tome.

"There you two are!" she exclaimed as she stood up.

A huff of air escaped Dia as Hanamaru collided with her, but the counselor couldn't resist hugging her back. Hanamaru then leapt at Kanan, who held her inches off the ground and spun her around in joy.

The turquoise moon and amber star on their hands were as dim as Dia's stone now was, but she could still see a glittery ghost of their original color reflected from the soft light from the lamps above.

"I thought I was going to be here all alone forever, zura!" she cried. "Where were you two?"

"I woke up somewhere out there in the darkness, so I'm not actually sure where I was…" Dia said.

Kanan nodded, corroborating her statement.

"That's strange. I woke up in here," Hanamaru waved her hand to the dome shaped room they were inhabiting, "And I was too afraid to go out into the darkness...I couldn't imagine actually waking up out there." She shuddered, and Haku purred as he leaned against Hanamaru's side to comfort her.

"It actually wasn't that scary. My staff glowed, so at least I had some light." Dia held her staff out, allowing Hanamaru to closer inspect it. "Your book appears to be glowing as well, so you would've at least had that, but I'm glad you didn't have to be out there."

Kanan nodded, "I wouldn't know what I would've done without Haku. At least he's another being, so I never felt alone." Haku blinked up at her from beside Hanamaru, and Kanan cracked a grin.

"I'm glad we're all together again! And at least we have this safe place to stay."

Dia and Kanan allowed their gaze to drink in the room around them. The walls and ceiling curved to create a dome shape high above them, and pretty golden orbs of light floated in clusters towards the top of the dome. There was not much inside the room of note other than a few sitting pillows and the bookshelves that lined the walls around them. It felt just like the study back at the castle, minus the rows of desks and dusty air.

"What is this room supposed to be? Other than some kind of study, obviously. Why is it here in the middle of nowhere?" Kanan asked.

Hanamaru shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure. The books are real and we can read them, but I've mostly been sifting through the one given to me by the gate."

"Limbo."

The two girls turned to Dia, who stood with her arms crossed as she squinted around the room.

"Like the thing you mentioned earlier?" Kanan asked as she tilted her head.

"Yes. I can only guess this room exists to bide us over until we are summoned, just like Lily White probably was when we arrived to the gate. Even though their memory is fuzzy, they could've easily been holed up in a comfortable room like this, and spent the years reading and talking."

Kanan mirrored Dia by crossing her arms. A bitter smile of acceptance tugged at her lips. "I see what you mean. It's comfortable and offers entertainment. There are definitely more than enough books for us to humor ourselves with for the next hundred years at least."

Hanamaru held a hand up to her lips as she looked around the room and surveyed the shelves around them. "Shame that we have all these books to read, with no way of holding onto all the information we gleam from them." She pouted and sighed a small 'zura'. "Imagine all the studies I could've published with a celestial library like this!" Kanan patted her on the back in sympathy.

"It's better than being fully dead, I suppose." Dia sighed and looked down at her body. Physically, she looked as if she was normal and alive, but internally, there was an unsettling lightness to her being.

Hanamaru fisted her hand in the fabric of her dress, seemingly understanding that same feeling.

Limbo or not, at least they were not alone.

"So we just hang out here until the next cycle occurs?" Kanan asked. Her eyes darted down to Haku, who Dia could've sworn shrugged his shoulders.

Hanamaru padded back towards her golden tome and effortlessly picked it up despite it's comically large size. "Despite not having a clear idea of what to do next, I do have something of interest to share. I believe this book serves as a history of the cycles of calamity and rebirth."

She returned to their circle and twisted the book in her arms, holding it open towards her comrades. "The first calamity seems to have occurred a couple thousand years after the world was formed."

Dia scanned the elegantly scripted list, mentally running through the various dates and times between each rebirth cycle. Once she reached the end of the page, her eyes darted up to Hanamaru, who had bittersweet acceptance reflected in her honey eyes. "If this book is accurate then…"

"Then the true end is almost near," Hanamaru finished Dia's thought, having already come to that conclusion before they had found her.

Kanan leaned in closer to the text, and Dia felt the taller woman tense at her side as she tallied the numbers and came to the same realization. "The time between the Lily White stones and the Azalea stones was barely one hundred years...and the time before them was only about one hundred and fifty…"

Hanamaru nodded sadly at Kanan's worried expression. "The time between cycles has been gradually closing in at a rate of roughly fifty years ever since the beginning. We're down the the last fifty, which means the next holders will presumably close the next cycle, only to have another one erupt immediately after their sacrifice."

Kanan gasped. "If that's the case, then there won't be another set of stone holders in time to band together to dispel it…"

"There won't be time for the gate to store up any purification energy either, zura."

Dia's grip tightened on her staff. "All of this has been fruitless then? Does this mean our sacrifice, and the sacrifice of the stone holders before us, has only been delaying the inevitable?"

Hanamaru closed the tome and held it tightly to her chest. "Yes and no. I can't say for sure whether any of the other stone holders have found solutions and failed, or even knew of the closing deadline to permanently stop the end from happening."

Haku moved to lean his large body against Dia's side. She couldn't resist reaching down to caress the tuft of soft fur on his head. Kanan sadly smiled as she tried to remain encouraging, "What's happened has happened, and at least we know the truth now, right Hanamaru?"

The scholar nodded, and Dia released a jagged breath. Kanan was right, there was no use getting wound up over it now.

"We have access to all these books, and plenty of time to get through them all. Maybe they're useless and only good for passing time, but they could hold the answers to ending this once and for all."

"But Kanan, what if we do manage to figure out a solution, but then we forget it once we are summoned? Lily White seemed to have no recollection of their time here in limbo." Hanamaru's expression was downtrodden as she addressed the elephant in the room.

Dia nodded, her voice heavy with hopelessness. "Assuming we even could figure out what numerous holders before us couldn't, it wouldn't do us any good if we're just destined to forget about our time spent here."

Haku retreated from Dia's side over to lay beneath the only table in the room, sparking something within his master. Kanan grabbed Hanamaru and Dia's hands and dragged them over to the table.

She walked around to stand opposite them at the other head of the table, straightened her back, and spoke with conviction. "That's a possibility, but we can't just sit here and wallow in pity. You are a scholar, right Hanamaru? If anyone can make sense of the material here, it's you."

Kanan slammed her hand on the table and turned to Dia then, who had flinched at the sudden noise, but kept her gaze lowered. "And Dia, you are a counselor, yes? Then you have experience organizing plans of action and weighing risk versus reward. I don't have that kind of formal training or experience, but I do know how to keep fighting against all odds." She gave them a confident grin and gripped the hilt of her sword that rested at her hip. "Combining our strengths, I know we can solve this problem."

"But-"

"But what if we forget? Yes, we might, but would you rather sit here for the next fifty or so years without even trying to find a solution? There is no guarantee Lily White would've been in the same place we are now, and it's always a possibility that we were the only ones given all of this," Kanan vigorously waved her arm to gesture towards the study, "As a last resort."

Dia glared at the wood-grain of the table. Hanamaru glanced around the room with furrowed brows as she assessed their situation. Clearly, Kanan was not pleased by their lackluster reactions, as she slammed her hand on the table once more.

"We did not come this far and offer up our very _lives_ just to give up now! We were chosen for this, so we have to believe we can figure this out."

"K-Kanan's right, zura!" Hanamaru slammed her golden tome on the table with vigor. "There's no use moping around. We shouldn't give up hope yet! After all, Ruby and our friends are still out there! Even if it turns out to be for nothing, we must at least keep trying for them!"

This brought Dia's eyes to lift up towards the red heart on her staff. It had allowed her a glimpse of her sister before the gate opened, but did not show signs of offering her that same gift anymore.

 _Ruby_.

At least she'd be able to live the next fifty years in peace.

It made Dia feel ill inside, but knowing that the true calamity would occur in fifty years time made her wish that Ruby would pass on peacefully before then. She was a pure soul who didn't deserve to suffer through the final end.

But maybe, just _maybe_ , there is a way to prevent it.

"Okay," Dia finally said as she looked between her encouraging comrades, "Let's keep fighting for them as long as we can."

* * *

 **A/N: Whew, apologies for taking so long to get this chapter up. Life just got busy and I was stuck over how exactly I wanted to reach the end of this story, but I think I can see the ending clearly now ^^**

 **Haku comes from the word 'hakumei', which from what I've gathered, can mean dusk, or twilight. Kudos to you if you get where I was trying to go with that name for him ;)**


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